Fight The Flights is a Volunteer Campaign/Lobbying/Watchdog Group set up by residents against the unneeded Expansion of London City Airport.

Thursday, November 04, 2010

Cost of giving Newham Council the 'wow factor'

We have a thought that you may wish to ponder as you read through this illuminating article from the BBC: Newham is keen to state that London City Airport has bought so much regeneration to the borough, jobs, money etc, it's often used as the excuse as to why the residents around it have to suffer intolerably. It's marketed as a bit of pay off in exchange for all that pollution. But why and how is it that Newham continues to be one of the most socially deprived boroughs in the country with all this wealth that is supposed to be generating from LCY and landing into Newham? Those trickle down economics just aren't trickling down to the right people. The facts are there, plain to see.

Last week's spending review ushered in an age of austerity for local authorities, ordered to make 7.1% savings annually for four years.

But at Newham Council staff are celebrating winning a top award from the British Council for Offices.

Judges called it an "outstanding transformational workplace environment", saying the "innovative, lively and colourful design contributed to a dynamic environment".

Daniel Windor, of interior designers Sheppard Robson, who carried out the work, said: "You have to have the 'wow factor' in that environment. You need to give it a bit of sparkle or it will fall flat."

'Ultimate Champagne socialist'

But the £18.7m cost of the building and its decor is one of several spending projects highlighted by a BBC investigation.

The Local Government Minister Bob Neill criticised the figure saying it showed members of Newham Council were "living the ultimate Champagne socialist lifestyle on the taxpayer".

The BBC was told the lights came from a designer but has been unable to track down the cost

In response a council spokesman said the building was saving taxpayers in the borough £7m a year.

Newham, where all 60 councillors are Labour, is ranked as the UK's sixth most deprived borough.

The Council's own publicity describes it as one of the poorest boroughs in London.

"Poverty intensity in Newham is high," it says.

Central government funding for the authority this year stands at £224m, more than £100m above the median London council.

The grant is based on need and takes into account deprivation levels.

Only two London councils, Hackney and Tower Hamlets, received more per head.

Like many local authorities, the council produces its own newspaper.

This is published fortnightly and last year cost the taxpayer £547,000.

Rebranding

The figure is the highest in London and compares with an average cost of about £140,000.

The council also funds an annual festival, formerly called the Newham Town Show.

But after Newham opted for a directly elected mayor, Sir Robin Wales, it was rebranded the Mayor's Newham Show and spending on the festival increased.

This year's show, attracting 40,000 people, cost £362,000, the most expensive festival predominantly funded by a London council.

Newham, one of the UK's poorest areas, is the Olympic borough

The sum is higher than Westminster's West End Live show, which attracts more than 250,000 people.

Newham, the Olympic borough, has declined to confirm how much the show cost in the last year before it was rebranded.

Along with Croydon, the authority was one of only two London councils to award pay rises to three senior councillors in 2010, during a public sector pay freeze.

Sir Robin's remuneration increased from £78,844 to £81,029.

It has also emerged that departing chief executive Joe Duckworth - once the highest-paid town hall chief in England on £241,000 - may receive a pay-off.

Mr Neill accused Labour councillors of a "spending spree that would make a millionaire blush".

"This is more evidence that if you root out all the waste and wild overspend in local government you can protect frontline services," he said.

A spokeswoman for the Taxpayers' Alliance said some of the spending highlighted at the authority amounted to "needless extravagance".'Modernist chic'

Of the offices, she added: "This glitzy refit is the sort of thing you might expect of a five star hotel or a West End nightclub, not the back offices of a local authority in one of the poorest boroughs of London.

"Any additional grants Newham receive should be spent on efforts to improve the area, not modernist chic for council officers."

But a Newham Council spokesman called the new office "an efficiency move that is saving taxpayers almost £7 million each year".

The council says 91% of people find its magazine "informative"

He added: "These savings are being realised by reducing the cost of office buildings and introducing better ways of working for staff, such as having all back office operations in one location.

"This move has helped to achieve the lowest council tax in outer London."

He said the festival played a "vital role in bringing the community together and ensuring cohesion" and spending on the Newham magazine resulted in a publication that 91% of people surveyed found "informative".

The spokesman said increasing councillors' salaries brought the mayor into line with a recommendation from an external panel.

"We are continually looking to ensure value for money for our residents and are working hard to make our finances stretch that bit further," he said.

AIRCRAFT NOISE & WHO TO COMPLAIN TOO

You can also report complaints directly to the airport - but you are highly recommended to also copy in (or call) Robin Whitehouse at Newham Council on any correspondance regarding complaints so that accurate complaint levels are recorded.

NATIONAL AIR TRAFFIC SYSTEMS - Proposed Flight Path Changes

Do you know how the proposals could affect you and your area? Some areas which currently have few aircraft overhead could find this changing in the future. Other areas may see a slight decrease in passing aircraft - but perhaps not a noticeable one. Although the consultation period has ended you can still see how the changes will affect you by clicking here.

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FIGHT THE FLIGHTS

Consultation - what consultation?

Newham Council are the planning authority for London City Airport and the masterplan. London City Airport (LCA) have just had a 50% increase in flights approved, taking flights up to 120,000 and is forecast to have 170,600 by 2030.

Read LCA's website and you'd think that a wonderful, well organised consultation had taken place by LCA themselves - and not only that, but what a good relationship they have with their neighbours.

So step in Newham Council Planning Department..who would be sure to consult ALL residents affected surely? Alas, Newham Planning seemed to have done nothing more than pin the map on the wall, and stick a pin in the map randomly. It did land in Newham, which was a bonus for Newham residents really - but not many. In fact it seems that an area south of the A13 was pinned by the donkeys tail. How many homes were 'consulted' is debateable as it seems the amount stated by Newham planning changes from day to day, we started at 16,000 then it's sometimes 10,000 other times 13,000. Additionally it is reported by our insider at Newham Council that £300,000 was allocated for this consultation. 13,000 letters into £300,000 plus a few newspaper adverts...it just doesn't add up.

Essentially as the application is a major one, Newham Council should have written to all households within a certain radius of the airport - regardless to if they were outside their borough or not.

In reality there have been quite a few changes at LCA over the past few years - just 3 years ago there were few jet planes flying in and out of this flood endangered airport...now residents suffer from around 90% of flights being jets, and the remaining propellor planes. Life has changed rather a lot over here in East /South East London - now having windows or doors open is a luxury that can only happen for the 23 and a half hours flight free time over the weekend due to the noise levels of 55db upwards to 65db. But it's worth noting there are flights 7 days a week.

So far the consulatation by all parties has been a complete fiasco - huge amounts of residents who will be affected not being notified - planning departments being obstructive and defensive at any feedback of the heady levels of a fiasco they have led this application into....and that was just the start two years ago and so much has happened since..